Category: Drugs

Drug Use And Its Effects Of Juvenile Delinquency

Introduction

The best way to ensure that there is a decline in juvenile offending is by making effective drug treatment a priority. Drug and substance use are common among the juvenile offenders, and it relates to the likelihood of crime in adulthood. It is possible for individuals to embrace the use of drug treatment to ensure there is a decline in juvenile offending. As such, there is a need for the criminal justice system to ensure that they screen all the juvenile offenders and establish whether they have a problem with using drugs. Such a move ensures that the best measures of dealing with juvenile delinquency are established before the condition gets worse. If the drug treatment approach follows the established evidence-based practices, it becomes easier to ensure that the juvenile justice system identifies the needs of these adolescents. For instance, those juvenile offenders that have drug problems can be subjected to institutional care when they return to the community. It is a move aimed at ensuring that the government and society, in general, introduce different ways of dealing with the problems that affect adolescents therein. Henceforth, it will be easier to come up with a strategy aimed at establishing the needed interventions and their implications on juvenile justice.

Problem Statement

It is common to see behavioral changes in the juveniles who are mostly involved in drugs. Drug addiction has become a menace of late, and it is not only prevalent to adolescents but the entire society in general. The most disheartening thing is that the younger generations who are hooked to drugs have a high likelihood of engaging in crime. Juveniles are those people who have not reached the consent age of 18 years. These are the people who are highly impressionable, and they are easy to manipulate. Several people can help them avoid engaging in crime, with the leading societal unit being the family. It has a role in ensuring that these juveniles do not engage in any deviant behavior.

Also, they must ensure that the juvenile behavior is not controlled by those friends who surround them and that they enhance a positive growth behavior. The major problem is that these actors may fail to necessarily play their role because of the increased cases of delinquency in youths. Several factors cause this delinquency, and it includes poverty, family dynamics, peer choices, and failure by the criminal justice system to foster positive behaviors in the society. It is evident in the fact that most of the youths who have been involved in the court-processes have been found to have used drugs at some point in their life. As such, there is a common diagnosis of a substance use disorder, and it creates a relationship between serious drug use and crime in youths.

Purpose of the Study

This study seeks to come up with a comprehensive examination of the existing relationship between substance use and the juvenile delinquency. It ends up sketching a bleak portrait of how the criminal justice system is currently overwhelmed by drug and substance use among the children who are between twelve and seventeen years. By the time these juveniles are subjected to the criminal system, most of the other systems in the country will have failed them significantly. As such, the research is an inclusive analysis aimed at creating an overall overview of how different actors have a role to play in ensuring that the juveniles do not engage in deviant behaviors. These behaviors are both use and addiction to drugs as well as engaging in crime.

Also, it is evident that the juvenile justice caseloads have also significantly impacted on the load that the taxpayers must pay. These costs would have been minimized if alternative strategies for preventing drug use were adopted. The future generations rely highly on how the juveniles are raised today. As such, there is a need for the country to come up with a way of protecting the young individuals, and ensure that children do not have a platform for them to engage in drugs. It is common for the juveniles who use drugs to often end up becoming delinquents, and they will commonly be in and out of the system.

The current criminal justice system needs to come up with a way of avoiding these problems that could affect the juveniles. Arguably, finding solutions is an all-inclusive approach that must acknowledge the role of different actors in finding solutions to the existing problems. The research will introduce evidence-based alternatives or options that the juveniles can adopt. These alternatives are not for those that engage in drugs or crimes only, but every youth therein. It aims to create a juvenile justice system aimed at illustrating the role of everyone in the society in guiding the youths to become better individuals in the society.

Significance of the Study

These include early intervention, assessment, and treatment of addiction issues. It could also be better if the was the introduction of criminal justice policies and program responses that are aimed at reducing the involvement of individuals in juvenile crime. The move would also ensure that these youths reduce substance use. Even though the relationship between delinquency and continued substance abuse in adolescents is well documented, there is limited information concerning the continued substance use in juvenile delinquent populations. However, it is widely apparent that the youths who often get into trouble with the law have numerous troubles with the law. It is also apparent that their troubles are caused by the continued involvement in drug and substance use. Gaining a deep understanding of the dynamic flow of these behaviors is essential in ensuring there is a refinement of the approaches used in effectively coming up with prevention measures for the juvenile offenders. The most appropriate method is to ensure the right intervention is adopted and within the right time. All these efforts are focused on ensuring that there is the elimination of the possibility of a lifetime of substance use or any other offending that could lead to a destructive pattern in the juveniles.

Literature Review

Despite the existing evidence that addiction can be treated using medication, most of the people do not seek meditation. They wait until the situation becomes worse, and it is mostly at a time when these drugs will have led them to engage in criminal acts. As such, the continued involvement in the criminal justice system could often lead to an indication of disrupted behaviors that trigger the brain to act in certain ways. The involvement in these illegal activities comes from the continued drug-seeking behaviors coupled up with the participation in illegal activities.

As such, most of the existing literature argues that the treatment of the offenders involved in drugs offers an opportunity for individuals to decrease substance abuse (Lunze et al., 2016). It also helps in decreasing the associated criminal behaviors. This literature shows that therapeutic strategies are needed to fight against addiction, and these strategies could then change the existing relationships of juvenile delinquencies with the criminal justice system. Delinquency means the prevalence of a specific target group to engage in crime. This crime is often committed by the young people, and it is largely a manner.

Drug Abuse Treatment Effectiveness in the Criminal Justice System

Over the past few years, recurrent research has shown that there are several benefits of treating the juveniles who engage in drug abuse. These benefits are largely influential in changing the overall perception of the criminal justice system. As such, when the juvenile offenders who are thought to be using drugs are put on therapeutic alternatives, it becomes easier for them to avoid incarceration. It is necessary to ensure that the treatment is merged with the oversight that is established by both the drug courts and jail-based treatments (McCuish, 2017).

Henceforth, it will guide these juveniles to re-enter the programs that will ensure they transit back to the community after incarceration. Monitoring, supervision, and legal sanctions are essential in leveraging the justice system to encourage the drug abusers so that they join treatment and refrain from the possibility of engaging in the deviant behaviors again in the future. As such, there is no need for people to be incarcerated because of some mistakes that could easily be solved without the involvement of the criminal justice system. Behavioral treatments, for instance, could help in reducing the impact of the disorders over time.

Relationship between Delinquency and Substance Abuse

There are two direct relationships between delinquency and substance abuse. The first one is that substance abuse often leads to delinquency, and the second one is that criminal behavior could most likely lead to the use of drugs in adolescents. As such, the existing research shows that the continued use of drugs amongst the teens could lead them to have deviant behaviors. Some of the most common substances that are abused in the society are alcohol, marijuana, nicotine, steroids, prescription drugs, tobacco, opiates, and cocaine (Baglivio & Wolff, 2017). Substance abuse involves the use of all drugs that are illegal, and in juveniles, it could also involve drinking because they have not reached the legal age. Several reasons are associated with the start of drinking at an early age. For instance, drug addiction among other members of the household will lead the adolescent to start engaging in drugs. It means that the child can easily access drugs because they believe that this use of drugs is not bad. However, when addiction sets in, these youths will suffer immensely because life will not despair them, and they could end up involving themselves in crime.

If these youths can easily access drugs within their neighborhood, it also becomes easier for them to become addicts because the drugs are easily accessible. Also, physical and emotional abuse could lead some of these youths to develop drug addiction because they are traumatized. The trauma could be caused by several factors, including neglect in the family and poverty. Arguably, the more these youths are exposed to drugs, the more they will engage in criminal behaviors. These behaviors are caused by frustration, anxiety, anger, depression, and fear of what life has to offer.

A combination of these emotional problems then increases the risk of addiction because these children will not be disciplined, meaning that they will not have good behaviors. Henceforth, it leads to the susceptibility of these children to mental and physical illnesses. Existing research shows that the mentally and physically ill persons will have a higher probability of engaging in continued drug use. They participate in crime as a way of enhancing their mental satisfaction.

Impact of Long-term Exposure to Drugs on Youths and Crime

Juveniles who abuse substances often tend to make maladaptive selections, which is a main neurocognitive characteristic. It makes them to have some decision-making deficits, and, in turn, there is a lot of pressure in their lives. These persons then luck self-restraint, and most of their behaviors are influenced by impromptu judgments. As such, they have a dysfunctional connectivity to the brain, a move that makes it difficult for them to embrace self-control or even emotional control. These are then related to poor decision-making techniques (Belenko et al., 2017).

The dysregulated performing connectivity is what makes these drug users to have rapid reactions in life, including continued engagement in crime. These drugs also have depressive symptoms because the brain of the user is affected immensely. Looking at a drug like marijuana, for instance, enhances the violence of behavior of individuals. It lessens the ability of an individual to control themselves properly, and it leads to a discord in their conditions. The violent behavior is majorly an attribute of crime because the drug users find it difficult to control themselves.

Delinquency

There is an undeniable link between drug and substance abuse and delinquency. The eventual consequences for most youths who engage in drug use are an arrest, adjudication, and interventions from the juvenile justice system. Even though substance abuse does not cause the delinquent behavior directly, there is a correlation with the increase in rates of crime. These are associated with out of school problems, especially those that are associated with the family. The behaviors could also be caused by the negative peer groups, lack of social controls withing the neighborhood, physical abuse, or sexual abuse (Racz et al., 2016).

Henceforth, the continued use of drugs will increase the rates of delinquent behaviors, and there is a strain in the juvenile and criminal justice services because of the minimal resources. It could also lead to issues of youth homicides. As such, these are among the prevalent conditions in the society currently that are creating more problems for both the social and criminal justice systems.

Research Question

• How do drug abuse and addiction influence the likelihood of an adolescent to engage in crime?

Hypothesis: Adolescents that are addicted to drugs will have a high prevalence of committing a crime.

Research Methodology

A qualitative research methodology will be incorporated into this research. It will involve the use of interviews, observations, and focus groups as a way of data collection. As such, the choice of the method is influenced by a need to unravel the thoughts, behaviors, and opinions of individuals concerning drug use and substance abuse. Quantitative analysis will also be used to analyze the overall impact that these drugs have on the juveniles.

Participants

The participants used for this research will be 30. All these participants are juveniles, and they will be aged between twelve and seventeen years. To achieve the intended purpose of the research, it is necessary to include both females and males in the research, and if it is possible, in equal numbers. The participation in research will be voluntary, and the participants will remain anonymous to ensure that the research attains the needed ethical threshold when dealing with children. Notably, the observation is necessary because it will allow for continuous observation of juveniles with the aim of establishing the difference between the frequent and occasional users of drugs. After the observation period, the participants will be subjected to a face-to-face interview. The thirty participants will be gathered into a focus group where each child will get an opportunity to share their personal experiences and habits when using drugs. A questionnaire that has multiple choice and open-ended questions will be subjected to them. If possible, the participants could voluntarily be subjected to tests to establish whether they have traces of drugs in their blood system. Afterward, themes and patterns will be established from the common responses using a Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software. Statistical conclusions will help in determining the most prevalent themes therein, and it will explain the common or different responses about the relationship between drug use and the prevalence of crime.

Policy Implications

There are some strong connections between the risk factors that lead to an increase in the relationship between drug addiction and crime. Some of these risk factors include childhood abuse, neglect, physical abuse, and mental illness. It could also include family issues such as poverty, unemployment, and troubles in getting school education. All these factors are highly interrelated, and they importantly correlate to criminal offending and increased frequencies of substance abuse. From the research, there are several components that highlight the cycle between drugs and crime. A combination of several factors will help in breaking these cycles.

For instance, there is a need for the government to come up with some whole approaches aimed at leveraging the situation. It could involve coming up with an inter-agency cooperation that addresses all the issues therein. This agency could ensure that it understands a range of factors that can lead to an increase in drug use and criminal offenses, and comes up with a way of addressing them. Also, there can be the prevention of continued cases of drug dependency through the establishment of a rapid intervention strategy. This strategy should encompass the drug users and ensure they are involved in the process of developing some effective drug treatment programs.

A policy should also be formulated that allows for early family interventions, particularly in those families where juveniles use drugs heavily. There is also a need to come up with some programs that have a specific target on the juveniles themselves. This program should help in creating an understanding of the personal history of the juveniles with the aim of establishing their drug use patterns. As such, the established policies must facilitate the stated responses, and it will ensure that the criminal justice agencies also get a way of using diverse activities in identifying the risks that the juveniles are exposed to. It will enhance the screening and assessment initiatives when trying to establish a high risk between drug use and criminal offenses. Notably, the key theme when coming up with policy implications is to ensure that there is the establishment of early intervention programs. These programs should specifically target the juveniles that are more exposed to the threat of drug abuse and offending.

References

1. Baglivio, M., & Wolff, K. (2017). Prospective prediction of juvenile homicide/attempted homicide among early-onset juvenile offenders. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14(2), 197.
2. Belenko, S., Knight, D., Wasserman, G. A., Dennis, M. L., Wiley, T., Taxman, F. S., … & Sales, J. (2017). The Juvenile Justice Behavioral Health Services Cascade: a new framework for measuring unmet substance use treatment services needs among adolescent offenders. Journal of substance abuse treatment, 74, 80-91.
3. Lunze, K., Idrisov, B., Golichenko, M., & Kamarulzaman, A. (2016). Mandatory addiction treatment for people who use drugs: global health and human rights analysis. Bmj, 353, i2943.
4. McCuish, E. C. (2017). Substance use profiles among juvenile offenders: A lifestyles theoretical perspective. Journal of Drug Issues, 47(3), 448-466.
5. Racz, S. J., Saha, S., Trent, M., Adger, H., Bradshaw, C. P., Goldweber, A., & Cauffman, E. (2016, April). Polysubstance use among minority adolescent males incarcerated for serious offenses. In Child & youth care forum (Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 205-220). Springer US.

Juvenile Drug Crimes And Conviction

There has been an increase over the years where our juveniles have experienced the use of narcotic drugs. Sometimes it is a one-time use, or they can become addicted. Furthermore, drugs and violence both has an effect on our juveniles and causes them to demonstrate criminal behavior. Secondly, juveniles have varied of ways to get access to illicit substances. Most of the time at school or though their peers. Some juveniles have access to substances in their own home such as, anti-depressants, pain narcotics, anxiety medications, and nerve pills.

For one thing, if you have older adult in the home that has used illicit drugs and been arrested for criminal offences because of drugs, this could be a factor and can validate this behavior is a norm. “Individuals who grew up in home environments where drug abuse was accepted as a means to deal with negative emotions are more desensitized to the use of drugs. They may learn that drug abuse is a proper way of handling negative life events,”(options behavioral health system).

Some people seem to believe illicit drugs are newly created and our juvenile are just now being exposed to them in today’s society. However, substances for example, mushrooms, “known as the “magic mushroom” they have been found in North Africa murals dated anywhere from 9000 to 7000 BC. Eating magic mushrooms is known to cause nausea and hallucinations, which were warmly embraced by ancient users as they believed it offered them access to higher levels of intelligence,”(ancient origins). Another popular drug today is “Opium is undoubtedly the most widely used drug in ancient history. The history of opium is long and complex, but scholars believe it was first cultivated by Sumerians in 3400 BC.

This latex contains morphine which is the active ingredient in the drug. The drug is processed into derivatives like heroin today,”(ancient origins). Moreover, in the late 19th and earlier 20th century doctors were able to prescribe patients drugs like cocaine and opium, the federal government did not have a policy to regulate dispersion medication. “During this time, the federal government did not have any agencies that regulated medical and pharmaceutical practice, and doctors freely prescribed cocaine and morphine as treatment for pain. By the end of the 19th century, abuse of these drugs was a significant social issue, and public concern was growing” (‘Drug Enforcement in the United States: History, Policy …’, 10/14).

These are just some of the popular drugs that juvenile have access to nowadays. I had seen in today’s society vaping has risen to be one of juvenile choices. Some juvenile has even purchased drugs over dark websites, which can be very dangerous, and these drugs can be sold to anyone worldwide. These sold illicit drugs over the dark web, can be fake, lethal, laced with a mixer of different chemicals. “The “Darknet” refers to encrypted online content that is not indexed by conventional search engines. Also known as the ‘darknet,’ the dark web is a component of the deep web that describes the wider breadth of content that does not appear through regular internet browsing activities. The dark web has become an online marketplace for illegal goods. The dark web attracts users who seek anonymity when conducting business,”(Investopedia).

All too often, we witness our juveniles making wrong decision or want to follow the leader in a world of drugs, alcohol and deviant behavior. It is well known that using drugs of this nature as an adolescence could affect their development, cause health issues, moreover, cause long-term mental illness and cause erratic behavior. Speaking on the drugs that can cause long-term addictions and illness, for example are alcohol which have a negative effect on your overall judgement. Using alcohol short-term can alter your speech, coordination, moods, and metabolize.

As a matter of fact, long-term drinking can cause liver disease, inflammation to the liver, which is caused hepatitis, to fetal scarring caused cirrhosis. Moreover, over-time you can have high blood pressure and even a heart attack. It has been a fact that alcoholism has cause many fatalities and jail time. “Though 2019 isn’t quite over, already this year 23 drivers in Houston and Harris County have been charged by police with intoxication manslaughter for causing deaths due to driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. And all but one of them have been arrested. DWI is a Class A misdemeanor, bringing punishments of 30 days to 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000. But under Texas drunk driving laws, causing a death due to drunk driving (also known as “intoxication manslaughter”) can lead to more serious punishments of 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Last year, 121 people died in alcohol-related crashes in Harris County, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. These included drivers, passengers and pedestrians. (‘Harris County, Texas Intoxication Manslaughter Arrests in 2019’). One of the starters drugs that juvenile experiment with is marijuana, some people says they juvenile began smoking marijuana then become open for drugs that will get them higher. However, it has been a large debate on the effect that marijuana can cause our juveniles, some would say it helps with illness, also increase appetite when you cannot eat from having an illness such as cancer patients. However, WebMD states “ Although some say marijuana is just as safe as, or even safer than alcohol, others argue that pot causes a lot more harm than just a serious buzz. Ongoing marijuana use has been linked to lung changes, memory loss, and a number of other health problems.

For instance, trouble thinking and remembering, bloodshot eyes and dry mouth, fast heartbeat and slow coordination,”(WebMD). Nevertheless, it is still illegal in some states, “adult possession of 2 ounces or less of marijuana is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days imprisonment and a fine not to exceed $2,000. Possession of between 2 and 4 ounces of marijuana is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment of up to 1 year and a fine not to exceed $4,000. Possession of between 4 ounces and 5 pounds of marijuana is a felony, punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of 180 days imprisonment, a maximum of 2 years imprisonment, and a fine not to exceed $10,000.

Anytime a juvenile is charged with a drug possession violation, that juvenile faces some potentially serious consequences. However, the juvenile justice process is very different than the criminal justice process. Even though the crime of drug possession is the same for juveniles and adults, the way the courts handle a juvenile case is very different. Juvenile courts have a much wider range of options when dealing with a juvenile offender than they would if the offender had been an adult” (‘Juvenile Drug Possession Drug Penalties’, 2020).

On the other hand, lets discuss heroin, this is one of the most addictive drugs. Although, heroin does not have a certain formative reason why people get addicted, heroin still can cause long-term health issues. “The effects of heroin abuse will differ from person to person, depending upon the length of abuse, amount of heroin used, the presence of other substances, and individual makeup. Severity of symptoms tend to get worse the longer the drug is abused. The most common effects of heroin addiction may include liver disease, HIV or hepatitis b and c, kidney disease, risks of contracting chronic illnesses, seizures, and death,”(option behavioral health system).

A drug similar to heroin and are very addictive is crystal meth. In today’s society we are seeing more of our juveniles being hooked on crystal meth. “It comes in clear crystal chunks or shiny blue-white rocks. Also called “ice” or “glass,” it’s a popular party drug. Usually, users smoke crystal meth with a small glass pipe, but they may also swallow it, snort it, or inject it into a vein. People say they have a quick rush of euphoria shortly after using it. But it’s dangerous. It can damage your body and cause severe psychological problems. Meth can make a user’s body temperature rise so high he could pass out or even die.

A user may feel anxious and confused, be unable to sleep, have mood swings, and become violent. Looks can change dramatically. A user may age quickly. His skin may dull, and he can develop hard-to-heal sores and pimples. He may have a dry mouth and stained, broken, or rotting teeth. He may become paranoid. He may hear and see things that aren’t there. He may think about hurting himself or others. He may also feel as though insects are crawling on or under his skin. A meth user is at higher risk for HIV/AIDS.

The drug can affect judgment and lessen inhibitions. Someone under the influence of the drug may be more likely to engage in risky behaviors, such as unsafe sex. Psychotic behavior, such as paranoia and hallucinations,”(WebMD). This causing frantic in law enforcement because of the endurance not to take someone’s life behind controllable behavior. On Monday January 20, 2020 a juvenile 14 years of age was arrested at Jamul, Calif U.S borders who had large packages taped to his body of crystal meth that weighted over 3 pounds. The driver who was 34 years old and three juveniles was arrested in that incident (‘ U.S Custom and Border Patrol’, 2020). In my 10 years of experience arresting juvenile, most of the time they would be caught with Ecstasy.

Some juveniles use the drug called ecstasy to make themselves feel self-assurance, refurbish their energy levels, moreover, for sexual pleasure and they believe, they are the world’s greatest creation, and nothing can be against them. “Ecstasy is responsible for many deaths and thousands of hospitals visits each year, proving it is not as harmless as dealers would like users to believe. In part because “ecstasy is often taken at raves or night clubs, the user runs a high risk of becoming dehydrated or overheating, eventually causing their organs to stop functioning if left untreated. In some cases, undiagnosed heart defects can be aggravated by the effects of the drug, causing heart failure.

In some individuals, users become aggressive and struggle with insomnia, significant decrease in appetite, memory loss and difficulty concentrating. Repeated use of Ecstasy interferes with the normal brain chemistry, resulting in severe mood-swings as well. psychosis, nerve degeneration, depression, anxiety and memory loss, kidney failure, hemorrhaging, long-lasting brain damage and death,”(addiction center). In some cases, they start feeling these symptoms while using this drug. Regarding to, inhalants this type of drug are mostly use by juveniles in gangs. “To understand inhalant use among adolescents aged 12 to 17, it is useful to examine the prevalence of inhalant use among adolescents compared with other age groups. In 2015, approximately 1.8 million people aged 12 or older used inhalants in the past year to get high. This number represents 0.7 percent of the population aged 12 or older, Female adolescents were more likely than male adolescents to have used inhalants in the past month ”(SAMHSA).

The street names for some inhalants are, air blast, chroming, hippie crack, and moon gas. These chemicals are very deadly when inhaled into the body. Inhaling large amounts of aerosol which is toxic can even cause death. “ Inhalants are various products easily bought and found in the home or workplace—such as spray paints, markers, glues, and cleaning fluids. Inhalants are mostly used by young kids and teens and are the only class of substance used more by younger than by older teens.

“Inhalants are highly accessible, cheap, and easy to hide; they are also addictive and deadly. Inhalants are particularly appealing to adolescents for many reasons; they are legal, low cost, and easy to acquire. In addition, inhalants can give users a fast but short-term high, which makes it easy for adolescents to use inhalants and conceal their use. Using inhalants is also associated with many negative outcomes. Adolescents who engage in inhalant use are at an increased risk of delinquency, depression, suicidal thoughts, and drug and alcohol use,” (SAMHSA). Most inhalants affect the central nervous system and slow down brain activity. Short-term effects are similar to alcohol, once again it can alter your judgement, metabolize, and coordination. “Long-term effects of inhalant use may include liver and kidney damage, hearing loss, bone marrow damage, loss of coordination and limb spasms (from nerve damage), delayed behavioral development (from brain problems), brain damage (from cut-off oxygen flow to the brain),” (NIDA).

In spite of all the mind-altering drugs prescription drugs are one of the highest drugs to be misused. “Abuse of prescription drugs can cause life-threatening consequences, including death from overdose, particularly when combined with other drugs or alcohol. Prescription drug abuse also appears to be associated with a greater likelihood of risky behaviors in teens, including other substance abuse,”(NCBI). These prescription drugs are widely affecting our youth. “Two-thirds of teens who misused pain relievers in the past year say that they got them from family and friends, including their home’s medicine cabinets,”(SAMHSA). Many teens are aware that parents of family have some type of prescriptions at home. These teens know prescription drugs are easy to hide on themselves. Juveniles will sneak, and steal prescriptions drugs then share them with friends.

The juvenile is probably not aware that once they remove the prescription drug and disburse them amongst peers they are actually committing a crime. “If your child shares drugs with a friend, regardless of how the drugs were obtain, they can be charged as a drug dealer, even if they just giving the drugs away for free. What’s more, if an accidental overdose occurs as a result, homicide charges can be brought against the teen who distributed the drug. Teenagers no longer have to be selling drugs to be charged and held responsible,”(psychology today).

Some juveniles use drugs then began to commit crimes ranging from status offences to property offences to drug offences. Juvenile law procedures go back many of years, if the juvenile knew right from wrong he/she was punishment accordingly. Most juvenile court considered remedy and handling for the juvenile and the proceedings were more civil then criminal. In today’s society the courts hold juvenile accountable for their actions. “Holding a juvenile offender “accountable” in the juvenile justice system means that once the juvenile is determined to have committed law-violating behavior, by admission or adjudication, he or she is held responsible for the act though consequences or sanctions, imposed pursuant to law, (‘Holding Juvenile Offenders Accountable’, 1999).

However, juveniles are surprised after they are charged although they have stated the prescription drug belongs to a family member. The most prescription drug that are prescribed to an individual is stimulants, opioids and depressants. Some people believe that taking a prescription is not as dangerous, but it does have its negative side effects. Actually, when you are abusing them. “Stimulants have side effects in common with cocaine, and may include paranoia, dangerously high body temperatures, and an irregular heartbeat, especially if stimulants are taken in large doses or in ways other than swallowing a pill. Opioids, which act on the same parts of the brain as heroin, can cause drowsiness, nausea, constipation, and, depending on the amount taken, slowed breathing. Depressants can cause slurred speech, shallow breathing, fatigue, disorientation, lack of coordination, and seizures upon withdrawal from chronic use,”(SAMHSA).

In some instance, the juvenile start selling the prescription for financial gain or to support they habits and addictions. For another thing, teens use drugs to fit in with the ones who already participating in reckless behavior. Also, speaking on female they will use drugs for weight loss to attract guys, because they feel that they need a body similar to models or celebrities.

Furthermore, they will use drug for a thrill just to get high. Some juvenile would say they wants to experience all that life has to offer and it is not that serious. Some people would say juvenile use drugs because they are bored but really they need to stay busy with extra-curricular activities. However, we as a community that needs to know the signs when we think our juveniles are partaking in drugs. Most Importantly, it has always been a war on drugs. For instance, “ The Smoking Opium Exclusion Act in 1909 banned the possession, importation and use of opium for smoking. However, opium could still be used as a medication. This was the first federal law to ban the non-medical use of a substance,”(war on drugs).

Furthermore, states are fighting to stop the drugs being expose to our juvenile, on the other hand legislators are passing laws to legalize cannabis. In 2019, “ ten states have now legalized cannabis for adults, while 33 allow medical use,”(forbes.com). With this, juveniles will still find a way to get access to the starter drug marijuana from parents of family. This has a great impact on families financially and emotionally for instance, they cannot trust the individual because they will steal to support their habit, they are afraid of their irrational behavior, they go indebt trying to pay cost for the juvenile treatments, even cause health problems for the parents or guardian behind stress. Moreover, the cost of health care and medical bills goes up, because they are at a higher risk for an illness. Furthermore, “the economic consequences of drug abuse severely burden federal, state, and local government resources and ultimately the taxpayers,”(justice.gov).

Nevertheless, legislators are debating on how to ban certain drugs that has been here for centuries, but the likelihood of drugs existing in the future and addiction is inevitable.